DELAWARE - Mary Dupont, executive director of La Plaza Delaware, is preparing for a 12-week leadership development program for up-and-coming Latino leaders across Delaware, which will launch in January 2023.
After researching leadership programs nationwide, Dupont discovered the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement (HACE), a program based in Chicago.
"We reached out to them to see if they would be interested in working with us," Dupont said. "They are already operating in 36 states, and they were interested because they were not in Delaware, so Delaware would be the 37th state in the country to offer professional leadership development training for Gen Z and millennials."
Isana Ventura, a La Plaza Delaware alumna and owner of a landscaping company, will participate as a mentor. Ventura credits La Plaza Delaware's courses with helping her business achieve significant growth.
"After taking the class, we have noticed that there's so much more that was left to learn and more ways we could grow our business," she said. "Our business has been successful, but it wasn't growing much, and after taking these courses with La Plaza, it allowed us to increase our revenue by at least 30 percent."
Dupont believes that by combining leadership and small business training, participants can find their place in the community, succeed, and represent the future of Delaware's Latino community.
Prospective participants can apply through La Plaza Delaware's website at laplazadelaware.org by clicking the Leadership tab and filling out an interest form. A formal application will follow, and a selection committee will determine the program's participants.